Plumbing supply boxes

ABSTRACT

Plumbing supply boxes may be made of a thermoset plastic material that will not melt or permit the boxes to collapse inside a wall if subjected to flames or high temperatures resulting from a fire. If the thermoset plastic boxes have a drain opening, a thermoplastic tubular drain adaptor may be connected thereto that can be solvent welded. Relatively small intumescent pads may be installed in close proximity to the drain opening which, if subjected to flames or high temperature caused by a fire, will expand and form an insulating char that seals off the drain opening. The boxes may be slidable in opposite directions along adjustable support brackets to permit the boxes to be mounted in any desired position in stud bays having different spacings between the stud walls for ease of alignment of one or more openings in the box with in-wall plumbing.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.61/077,671, filed Jul. 2, 2008.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to plumbing supply boxes that areinstallable in wall recesses for connecting one or more water shut-offvalves and/or drain lines to in-wall plumbing.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Plumbing supply boxes are commonly used to connect hot and/or cold watersupply lines and/or one or more waste drains to appliances and plumbingfixtures such as washing machines, icemakers, water softeners, sinks,toilets and the like. Oftentimes these boxes are molded out of asuitable thermoplastic material to enable any drain outlets to besolvent welded to thermoplastic drain pipes.

If these thermoplastic supply boxes are to be recess mounted in wallsthat are fire rated, the boxes must be similarly fire rated to insurethat the original fire rating of the walls is maintained even though theboxes may melt and collapse inside the walls when subjected to flames orhigh temperatures caused by a fire. Heretofore one known way to obtainthe requisite fire rating for thermoplastic supply boxes was to make thewalls of the boxes thicker to better withstand heat and attach arelatively large intumescent pad to the back side of the boxes.Accordingly, should the boxes be subjected to sufficient heat to causethe boxes to melt and collapse inside the walls, the heat will alsocause the intumescent material to expand sufficiently to form a hardchar to seal off the wall opening previously occupied by the boxes andthereby restore the walls to the original fire rating.

A major disadvantage in using such intumescent pads to achieve therequisite fire rating for thermoplastic supply boxes is the relativelyhigh cost of the intumescent pads and poor structural integrity of thesupply boxes at high temperatures.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides fire rated plumbing supply boxes that areless costly than previous known fire rated thermoplastic supply boxesand have a higher degree of structural integrity at high temperatures.Also the plumbing supply boxes of the present invention may easily bemounted in any desired position in stud bays having different spacingsbetween the stud walls and also be easily aligned with in-wall plumbing.

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, the plumbing supplyboxes may be made of a thermoset plastic fire rated material that willnot melt or collapse inside a fire rated wall when subjected to flamesor high temperatures caused by a fire.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the themoset plasticsupply boxes may include one or more drain openings containing athermoplastic tubular drain adaptor to which thermoplastic drain pipescan be solvent welded.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a relatively smallamount of intumescent material may be installed in close proximity tothe thermoplastic drain adaptor, whereby if the boxes are exposed toenough heat to cause the drain adaptor to melt, the intumescent materialwill expand and form an insulating char that seals off the associateddrain opening.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the supply boxes maybe field convertible to different valve and drain outlet options.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, adjustable supportbrackets may be used to mount the supply boxes in stud bays havingdifferent spacings between the stud walls.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the supply boxes maybe slidable along the support brackets within stud bays to allow theboxes to be aligned with in-wall plumbing.

These and other objects, advantages, features and aspects of theinvention will become apparent as the following description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the invention,then, comprises the features hereinafter more fully described andparticularly pointed out in the claims, the following description andthe annexed drawings setting forth in detail certain illustrativeembodiments of the invention, these being indicative, however, of butseveral of the various ways in which the principles of the invention maybe employed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the annexed drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of one form of plumbing supply box ofthe present invention.

FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the plumbing supply box of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary transverse section through theplumbing supply box of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a rear perspective view of the plumbing supply box similar toFIG. 2 but showing an enclosure containing a small quantity ofintumescent material removed from the bottom of the box.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary perspective longitudinal section through thesupply box of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged side elevation view of a test cap for sealing offa drain outlet in the bottom of the plumbing supply box during pressuretesting of a sanitary drainage system to which the drain outlet isconnected.

FIG. 7 is a front perspective view of another form of plumbing supplybox of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a rear perspective view of the plumbing supply box of FIG. 7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now in detail to the drawings, wherein the same referencenumbers are used to designate like parts, and initially to FIGS. 1-5,there is shown one form of plumbing supply box 1 of the presentinvention that may be installable in a wall recess (not shown) forconnecting one or more water shut-off valves and/or drain lines toin-wall plumbing in a manner well known in the art. The box includesbottom and top walls 2, 3, rear wall 4 and side walls 5, 6. One or bothof the top and bottom walls may include alternately rearwardly andforwardly facing aligned channels 8, 9, 10 for receipt of respectivepairs of adjustable metal support brackets 11, 12 that may betelescopically connected together as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. Thispermits the support brackets to be moved in or out relative to oneanother for securely mounting the box between stud walls in a stud bayhaving different spacings therebetween (for example, 16 inch to 24 inchspacing). In addition, this permits the box to be slid along the supportbrackets in opposite directions within the stud bay for aligning the boxwith in-wall plumbing (not shown). The outer ends of the supportbrackets may be securely mounted to stud walls made of wood, compositeor metal using suitable fasteners such as nails or screws.

Any number of openings may be provided in the bottom wall 2 of the boxfor connecting one or more shut-off valves mounted inside the box to oneor more water supply lines and/or for connecting the box to a sanitarydrain line. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-5, two openings 15, 16are provided in the bottom wall for mounting conduit fittings 17, 18 towhich shut-off valves 19, 20 are connected inside the box to open andclose off hot and/or cold water supply lines 21, 22 extending from theconduit fittings (see FIG. 5). Also a third opening 23 is provided inthe bottom wall adjacent one side of the box for connection to a drainline (not shown). Corresponding openings 25, 26 may also be provided inthe top wall 3 of the box (see FIG. 5) for mounting the conduit fittingsfor the shut-off valves for connection to top water supply lines.Likewise the top wall may have a third opening 27 substantially in linewith the third opening 23 in the bottom wall 2 that may provide a drainport if the box is mounted upside down to accommodate either a righthand drain arrangement or a left hand drain arrangement as desired. Thethird opening 23 or 27 that is not used as a drain port may be plugged,as may the other openings 15, 16 or 25, 26 to which conduit fittings forwater shut-off valves are not connected as described hereafter.

In accordance with the present invention, the box 1 is desirably madeout of a suitable thermoset plastic fire-rated material such as fiberreinforced bulk molding compound (BMC) or phenolic that will not melt orcollapse inside the wall when exposed to flames or high heat. Similarly,the plugs that are used to close off the openings to which the conduitfittings for the water shut-off valves and water supply lines are notconnected and the drain outlet or outlets to which the drain line is notconnected may be made of a similar type thermoset plastic material orother material that will not melt or collapse when subjected to flamesor high temperatures resulting from a fire. Moreover, the adjustablesupport brackets 11, 12 may be made of a suitable metal or othermaterial that will withstand the flames or high temperatures resultingfrom a fire.

If needed to obtain the required fire rating for the boxes, a suitableinsulation pad 28 may be attached to the back wall 4 of the boxes in anysuitable manner, for example, by taping both ends of the pad to thesides of the boxes using a suitable tape such as foil tape 29 to holdthe insulation pad in place as shown, for example, in FIGS. 2 and 4.Other suitable fasteners including screws, snap fasteners, or adhesivesand the like could also be used to secure the insulation pads in placeif desired. The insulation layer 28 may have a foil backing to reflectheat and hold the insulating material together.

A tubular drain adaptor 30 made out of a suitable thermoplastic materialmay be inserted into the drain opening 23 in the bottom of the box frominside the box to permit solvent welding or otherwise attaching athermoplastic drain pipe to the outer end of the adaptor forestablishing fluid communication with the drain pipe through theadaptor. Such adaptor may be retained in place as by providing a stopflange 31 on the inner end of the adaptor for engagement with aninterior surface of the bottom wall 2 surrounding the drain opening anda split wire retaining ring 32 in an external groove 33 in the adaptorfor engagement with the bottom edge 34 of the drain opening (see FIGS. 3and 5). Turning of the adaptor in the drain opening may be prevented asby providing a straight edge 35 on the side of the stop flange 31 thatis in close proximity to and substantially parallel with the interiorsurface 36 of the back wall 4 of the box when the adaptor is insertedinto the drain opening as best seen in FIG. 5. An O-ring seal 37 inanother external groove 38 in the adaptor establishes a fluid seal withthe drain opening 23.

A thermoset plastic plug 40 may be used to close off the unused drainopening 27 in the top wall of the box as by inserting the plug into thedrain opening from inside the box. The plug may be held in place as byproviding a stop flange 41 on the inner end of the plug for engagementwith the inner surface of the top wall 3 and a split wire retaining ring42 in an external groove 43 in the plug for engagement with an outeredge of the opening 27 similar to the way the tubular drain adaptor 30is held in place. Likewise, another external groove 44 may be providedin the snap-in plug 40 containing an O-ring seal 45 for establishing afluid seal with that particular opening. The other openings 25, 26 inthe top wall (or openings 15, 16 in the bottom wall) to which conduitfittings for the shut-off valves and water lines are not connected maybe closed using similar type thermoset plastic plugs 46 retained inplace as by lock nuts 47. Also the plugs 46 may be sealed in therespective openings by O-ring seals 48 contained within external grooves49 in the plugs as shown in FIG. 5.

A test cap of any suitable type may be used to temporarily seal off thedrain opening to permit pressure testing of the sanitary drainage systemto which the drain pipe is connected for any leaks. However, preferablya test cap of the type disclosed for example in U.S. Pat. No. 7,270,144(the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference) isused, since it has the advantage that it may be quickly and easilyinstalled and just as quickly and easily removed without having todestroy the test cap. This eliminates the risk of any portion of thetest cap falling into the drain opening and possibly blocking flowtherethrough and also permits the test cap to be reused.

One such test cap 50 is shown in FIG. 6 and includes a flange portion 51and cylindrical portion 52 extending downwardly therefrom sized toclosely fit within the drain opening 53 in the adaptor 30. Protrudingoutwardly from the cylindrical portion 52 are two or more tabs 54 sizedand oriented to pass through corresponding notches 55 in the edge ofadaptor drain opening 53 (see FIG. 5) when the tabs are aligned with thenotches and the test cap is pushed downwardly. To provide a fluid tightseal between the test cap and adaptor 30, an O-ring seal 56 may beprovided in a groove 57 on the bottom side of the test cap flange 51radially outwardly of the notches 55 in the adaptor. Also ramps 58 (seeFIG. 5) may be provided on the under side of the adaptor flange 31leading away from the notches 55 in opposite directions for engagementby the tabs 54 on the test cap 50 during turning of the test cap in thetightening direction to cause the test cap seal 56 to press into sealingengagement with the adaptor flange.

A handle 58 may be provided on the upper side of the test cap flange forease of turning the test cap in either direction. Once pressure testingof the sanitary drainage system to which the box is connected iscompleted, the test cap may be turned in the opposite direction to bringthe tabs once again into alignment with the notches 55 in the edge ofthe adaptor drain opening 53, thus allowing the test cap to be removedfor reuse.

Because the outlet adaptor 30 is made of a thermoplastic material, theadaptor may melt and collapse inside the wall if subjected to flames orhigh heat during a fire. Should this occur, the drain opening 23 in thebottom wall of the box is desirably closed off by installing relativelysmall intumescent pads 60 on one or more inner side walls of anenclosure 61 (see FIGS. 1-4) that may be suitably attached to the lowersurface of the box around the drain opening. Enclosure 61 may be made ofmetal or other suitable material that has a high degree of structuralintegrity at high temperatures, including, for example, a suitablethermoset plastic material. When the box is exposed to sufficient heatto cause the adaptor to melt, the intumescent pads 60 within theenclosure will expand and form an insulating char to seal off the drainopening 23.

The amount of intumescent material 60 needed to seal off the drainopening 23 in the bottom wall 2 is far less than the amount that wouldbe required to close off the entire opening in a fire rated wall inwhich the box is mounted if the entire box melted and collapsed in thewall upon being subjected to flames or high heat in a fire situation aswould be the case if the entire box was made of a thermoplasticmaterial. This provides a significant cost savings in the manufacture ofthe fire rated thermoset plastic boxes of the present invention. Alsothe cost of the thermoset plastic boxes of the present invention isn'tlikely to be any more than the cost of thicker walled thermoplasticboxes that would be required for fire rating purposes.

The enclosure 61 that is lined with intumescent pads 60 may be attachedto the bottom of the box 1 as by providing spaced apart flanges 62 onopposite sides 63 of the enclosure that are engageable with grooves 64in the exterior surface of the bottom wall of the box on opposite sidesof the drain adaptor 30 to provide a snap connection therebetween. Alsothe enclosure 61 may have an axial opening 65 extending therethroughsized to receive the outer end of the adaptor 30 (see FIGS. 2 and 4)thus allowing the enclosure to be pushed up over the adaptor from belowand snapped into place against the bottom wall of the box as shown inFIGS. 1-4.

Once the box 1 is properly installed in a stud bay and the water lineand/or drain line connections are made and any pressure testing of thesanitary drainage system to which the drain pipe is connected iscompleted, suitable drywall or other sheet material is installed aroundthe box to finish the wall. The drywall opening for the box I should beas close to the top, bottom and sides of the box as practicable. Anygaps between the box and drywall of, for example, up to ½ inch should befilled with drywall plaster. Any gaps larger than that should be sealedwith firestop sealant substantially the entire thickness of the drywall.Finally an adjustable faceplate 66 may be inserted into the open front67 of the box as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 to give the installation a morefinished appearance.

As previously indicated, the box of the present invention may have anynumber of openings in the bottom wall (and top wall) depending on theparticular application. For example, FIGS. 7 and 8 show a plumbingsupply box 70 that only has one opening 71 in the bottom wall 72 formounting a single conduit fitting 73 (with or without a water hammerarrester device) for connection of a single shut-off valve 74 and watersupply line (not shown) to an ice maker. If the box needs to be firerated for recess mounting in a fire rated wall, the box is desirablymade of a suitable thermoset plastic material to provide the desiredflame and temperature rating for the box, similar to the box 1previously described. Also the box may include the same type ofadjustable support brackets 11, 12 for mounting the box in a stud baybetween stud walls having different spacings therebetween and to allowthe box to be moved along the brackets in opposite directions foraligning the box with in-wall plumbing as before. One or both of the topand bottom walls 75 and 72 of the box may include alternately rearwardlyand forwardly facing aligned channels 76, 77, 78 for sliding receipt ofthe support brackets 11, 12 within the channels.

In this case, since the box 70 shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 doesn't have adrain opening, there is no need for a thermoplastic drain adaptor forsolvent welding of the box to a thermoplastic drain line or intumescentmaterial for closing off the drain opening in the event of a fire. Ifneeded to obtain the required fire rating for the box, a suitableinsulation pad 80 may be attached to the back wall 81 of the box similarto the way the insulation pad 28 is attached to the back wall 4 of box1.

Although the invention has been shown and described with respect tocertain embodiments, it is obvious that equivalent alterations andmodifications will occur to others skilled in the art upon the readingand understanding of the specification. In particular, with regard tothe various functions performed by the above-described components, theterms (including any reference to a “means”) used to describe suchcomponents are intended to correspond, unless otherwise indicated, toany component which performs the specified function of the describedcomponent (e.g., that is functionally equivalent), even though notstructurally equivalent to the disclosed component which performs thefunction in the herein exemplary embodiments of the invention. Inaddition, while a particular feature of the invention may have beendisclosed with respect to only one embodiment, such features may becombined with one or more other features as may be desired andadvantageous to any given or particular application.

1. A plumbing supply box installable in a wall recess for connecting oneor more water shut-off valves and/or drain openings to in-wall plumbing,the box having a bottom wall and a top wall, at least one opening in thebottom wall and/or top wall for mounting a conduit fitting for ashut-off valve inside the box or for connection of a drain line to thebox, wherein the box is made of a thermoset plastic material.
 2. The boxof claim 1 further comprising at least one pair of adjustable supportbrackets along which the box is slidable to permit the box to be mountedin a stud bay between stud walls having different spacings therebetweenand allow the box to be moved along the support brackets in oppositedirections within the stud bay for aligning the at least one openingwith in-wall plumbing.
 3. The box of claim 2 wherein there are two pairsof vertically spaced adjustable support brackets on which the box isslidable in opposite directions within the stud bay.
 4. The box of claim2 which has laterally spaced oppositely facing aligned channels in whichthe at least one pair of support brackets is slidably received.
 5. Thebox of claim 1 wherein the at least one opening is for mounting aconduit fitting for a shut-off valve inside the box.
 6. The box of claim1 wherein the at least one opening is a drain opening, and a tubularadaptor is connected to the drain opening, the adaptor being made of athermoplastic material that can be solvent welded.
 7. The box of claim 6further comprising a test cap that is insertable into an inner end ofthe adaptor for sealing off the adaptor when connected to a drain pipefor pressure testing of a sanitary drainage system to which the drainpipe is connected.
 8. The box of claim 6 further comprising intumescentmaterial installed in close proximity to the drain opening which whenexposed to enough heat to cause the adaptor to melt, expands and formsan insulating char that seals off the drain opening.
 9. The box of claim8 wherein the adaptor has a stop flange at an inner end that engages aninterior surface of the bottom wall surrounding the drain opening. 10.The box of claim 9 wherein the adaptor has an external groove containingan O-ring seal for establishing a fluid seal with the drain opening. 11.The box of claim 6 wherein the intumescent material is installed in anenclosure attached to an exterior surface of the bottom wall of the boxaround the drain opening.
 12. The box of claim 11 wherein the enclosurehas an axial opening through which the adaptor extends when theenclosure is attached to the bottom wall.
 13. The box of claim 1 whichhas a back wall to which an insulation pad is attached.
 14. The box ofclaim 13 wherein the insulation pad has a foil backing.
 15. The box ofclaim 13 wherein ends of the insulation pad are taped to sides of thebox.
 16. The box of claim 1 wherein the bottom wall has first and secondopenings for mounting conduit fittings for hot and cold water shut-offvalves inside the box and a third opening that provides a drain opening,further comprising a tubular adaptor connected to the drain opening, theadaptor being made of a thermoplastic material that can be solventwelded.
 17. The box of claim 16 further comprising an enclosureattachable to an exterior surface of the bottom wall around the drainopening, the enclosure containing intumescent material which whenexposed to enough heat to cause the adaptor to melt, expands and formsan insulating char that seals off the drain opening.
 18. The box ofclaim 16 wherein the top wall also has first and second openings formounting conduit fittings in the top wall for hot and cold watershut-off valves inside the box, and plugs for plugging any of the firstand second openings in which conduit fittings for hot and cold watershut-off valves are not mounted.
 19. The box of claim 18 wherein thefirst and second openings in the top wall are substantially in line withthe first and second openings in the bottom wall, and the top wall has athird opening substantially in line with the third opening in the bottomwall that provides a drain opening for receipt of the adaptor when thebox is mounted upside down to accommodate a different drain arrangement,and another plug for plugging the third opening that is not used as thedrain opening.
 20. The box of claim 19 further comprising an enclosureattachable to an exterior surface of the wall having the third openingthat forms the drain opening to which the adaptor is connected, theenclosure surrounding the drain opening and containing intumescentmaterial which when exposed to enough heat to cause the adaptor to melt,expands and forms an insulating char to seal off the drain opening. 21.A plumbing supply box installable in a wall recess for connecting one ormore water shut-off valves and/or drain openings to in-wall plumbing,the box having a bottom wall and a top wall, at least one opening in thebottom wall and/or top wall for mounting a conduit fitting for ashut-off valve inside the box or for connection of a drain line to thebox, and at least one pair of adjustable support brackets along whichthe box is slidable to permit the box to be mounted in a stud baybetween stud walls having different spacings therebetween and allow thebox to be moved along the support brackets in opposite directions withinthe stud bay for aligning the at least one opening with in-wallplumbing.
 22. The box of claim 21 which has laterally spaced oppositelyfacing aligned channels in which the at least one pair of supportbrackets is slidably received.